Give it up for Simple Plan!
I nearly had to give up the opportunity to review this show but after seeing Simple Plan perform, I am so grateful I didn’t.
This performance at London’s Forum in Kentish Town was the last night of their European Tour, and their biggest London show to date. This was surprising considering what an amazing performance the guys were able to create; I was truly impressed. The first thing that stood out was the lack of flashing lights. At first I thought it just may have been the bands choice to keep things simple, but apparently it was a technical fault. Still, this simplicity made the band much more intimate with the crowd. This intimacy was made more prominent when the guys leaped on and off platforms at the front of the stage. When the front four fellas stood together, elevated from the stage, it was a remarkable sight.
Musically, this night’s performance gave me the opportunity to hear a lot more from Simple Plan. They went old school and performed tracks from their first album ‘No Pads, No Helmets...Just Balls’; ‘I’d Do Anything’, ‘Addicted’, ‘Perfect’ and ‘I'm Just A Kid’ went down a treat. From their sophomore album they shock the foundations with ‘Welcome To My Life’, ‘Shut Up’ and ‘Jump’, which of course everyone did. Then the guys showed off their new sounds from their self-titled release. ‘Take My Hand’, ‘Generation’ and ‘Your Love Is A Lie’ were absolutely terrific; the ballad ‘Save You’ was even more remarkable. The guys also gave a small rendition of ‘Kissed a Girl’ by Katie Perry and two impromptu songs. The first was ‘Happy Birthday’ to a girl in the crowd and secondly an improvised song on acoustic guitar about London.
Being the vocalist, I always saw Pierre Bouvier as the front man for Simple Plan. It isn’t until you see them live you truly come to realise how connected they are as a band. Bassist David Desrosiers is another remarkable character that sings and gets more involved in talking to the crowd than any other bassist I have seen. He was chatting to the crowd and getting them involved in cheering and shouting whenever he said “London”. He vowed to stay and sign autographs for EVERYONE who wanted one as he missed out on an earlier signing, and can you believe he gave away his bass to a lad in the crowd who was collecting his picks?
Simple Plan is a must see band when they return to the UK. They are possibly one of the most entertaining and enthralling bands I have seen live.